Methods of Mobile Device based Relay for Coverage Extension

ABSTRACT

A method to use UE as a mobile device relay using PC5 link or sidelink to relay data traffic to/from end UEs for coverage extension is proposed. A relay UE can be the group head UE of a UE relay group including one or more remote UEs. A remote UE can be in-coverage or out-of-coverage of the serving cell served by a serving base station. In a first novel aspect, the network is aware of remote UE existence without direct Uu link. In addition, methods for resource allocation and interference management are proposed. In a second novel aspect, solutions for synchronization of remote UEs on PC5 link, and solutions for connection setup between relay UE and remote UEs on PC5 link are proposed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 from U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/839,823, entitled “Methods of MobileDevice based Relay for Coverage Extension,” filed on Apr. 29, 2019, thesubject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments relate generally to wireless networkcommunications, and, more particularly, to relay data traffic using PC5link or sidelink for coverage extension in 5G new radio (NR) wirelesscommunications systems.

BACKGROUND

Third generation partnership project (3GPP) and Long-Term Evolution(LTE) mobile telecommunication systems provide high data rate, lowerlatency and improved system performances. In 3GPP LTE networks, anevolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) includes aplurality of base stations, e.g., evolved Node-Bs (eNBs) communicatingwith a plurality of mobile stations referred as user equipment (UEs).Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) has been selectedfor LTE downlink (DL) radio access scheme due to its robustness tomultipath fading, higher spectral efficiency, and bandwidth scalability.Multiple access in the downlink is achieved by assigning differentsub-bands (i.e., groups of subcarriers, denoted as resource blocks(RBs)) of the system bandwidth to individual users based on theirexisting channel condition.

To meet the demand of this exponential increase in communications,additional spectrum (i.e. radio frequency spectrum) is needed. Theamount of licensed spectrum is limited. Therefore, communicationsproviders need to look to unlicensed spectrum to meet the exponentialincrease in communication demand. An established communication protocolsuch as LTE and 5G New Radio (NR) can be used over the licensed spectrumto provide a first communication link, and LTE/NR can also be used overthe unlicensed spectrum to provide a second communication link. In NewRadio-Unlicensed (NR-U), any downlink and uplink access have to followthe listen-before-talk (LBT) channel access procedure, as unlicensedfrequencies are also used by other networks such as Wi-Fi.

There is big link budget gap for indoor UEs as compared to outdoor UEs.For outdoor UEs, there is no additional penetration loss, while forindoor UEs, there is outdoor-to-indoor penetration loss. As compared toWi-Fi and NR unlicensed spectrum operation, a PC5 link (or sidelink)based mobile device potentially possesses the following features: 1)deployment by both operator can user; 2) operation in both unlicensedspectrum and licensed spectrum; 3) similar protocol stacks complexity toWi-Fi; 4) better multiplexing efficiency than Wi-Fi; 5) better mobilitysupport than Wi-Fi, e.g., service continuity; 6) larger maximal TX powerthan Wi-Fi for larger coverage: 7) support multi-hop relay.

A solution is sought to use UE as a mobile device relay using PC5 linkor sidelink to relay data traffic to/from end UEs for coverageextension.

SUMMARY

A method to use UE as a mobile device relay using PC5 link or sidelinkto relay data traffic to/from end UEs for coverage extension isproposed. A relay UE can be the group head UE of a UE relay groupincluding one or more remote UEs. A remote UE can be in-coverage orout-of-coverage of the serving cell served by a serving base station. Ina first novel aspect, the network is aware of remote UE existence. Forexample, remote UEs that are not connected to the network are still ableto receive SIB, paging message, or RRC configuration from the networkvia PC5 link with the relay UE. In addition, methods for resourceallocation and interference management are proposed. In a second novelaspect, solutions for synchronization of remote UEs on PC5 link, andsolutions for connection setup between relay UE and remote UEs on PC5link are proposed.

In one embodiment, a relay UE receives higher layer configurationinformation from a serving base station over a downlink connection. Thehigher layer configuration information comprises a resource poolconfiguration related to sidelink transmissions between the relay UE andone or more remote UEs. The relay UE establishes sidelinks between therelay UE and the one or more remote UEs. The one or more remote UEsbelong to a relay UE group served by the same base station. The relay UEforwards the higher layer configuration information to each of theremote UEs in the relay UE group.

In one embodiment, a remote UE establishes a sidelink with a relay UE.The remote UE and the relay UE belong to a relay UE group served by aserving base station. The remote UE receives a higher layerconfiguration information from the relay UE. The higher layerconfiguration information comprises a resource pool configurationrelated to sidelinks between the relay UE and one or more remote UEs inthe relay UE group. The remote UE obtains a radio resource within theresource pool configuration and performing data transmission over theobtained radio resource.

Other embodiments and advantages are described in the detaileddescription below. This summary does not purport to define theinvention. The invention is defined by the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communications system supporting PC5-basedmobile device relay in accordance with a novel aspect.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless transmitting deviceand a receiving device in accordance with a novel aspect.

FIG. 3 illustrates a first deployment scenario for a PC5-based mobiledevice relay in accordance with one novel aspect.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second deployment scenario for a PC5-based mobiledevice relay in accordance with one novel aspect.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sequence flow between network and relay UE andremote UE with network-aware coverage extension.

FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence flow between network and relay UE andremote UE for synchronization procedure over PC5 link.

FIG. 7 illustrates a sequence flow of a connection setup procedurebetween the network and a remote UE via a relay UE.

FIG. 8 illustrates a sequence flow between network and relay UE andremote UE for relay UE-based resource allocation.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and resourceallocation from relay UE perspective in accordance with one novelaspect.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and resourceallocation from remote UE perspective in accordance with one novelaspect.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and connectionsetup from relay UE perspective in accordance with one novel aspect.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and connectionsetup from remote UE perspective in accordance with one novel aspect.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of theinvention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communications system 100 supportingPC5-based mobile device relay in accordance with a novel aspect. 5G newradio (NR) mobile communication network 100 comprises a 5G core (5GC)101, a base station gNodeB 102, and a plurality of user equipments UE103, UE 104, and UE 105. For in-coverage UEs, a base station canschedule the data traffic over Uu link. For out-of-coverage UEs, UE canschedule the data traffic over PC5 (or sidelink). In FIG. 1, UE 103 is aradio resource control (RRC)-connected UE that acts as a mobile devicerelay using PC5 (or sidelink) to relay data traffic to/from end remoteUEs for coverage extension. Remote UE 104 is not connected to thenetwork. Relay UE 103 helps to relay all data traffic for remote UE 104.Remote UE 105 is connected to the network via Uu link but the linkquality may be poor. Relay UE 103 helps to relay part or all datatraffic for remote UE 105.

In LTE and new radio (NR) networks, Physical Downlink Control Channel(PDCCH) is used for downlink (DL) scheduling or uplink (UL) schedulingof Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) or Physical Uplink SharedChannel (PUSCH) transmission. The DL/UL scheduling information carriedby PDCCH is referred to as downlink control information (DCI). The DCIformat is a predefined format in which the downlink control informationis formed and transmitted in PDCCH. Similarly, Physical Sidelink ControlChannel (PSCCH) is used for sidelink (SL) scheduling of PhysicalSidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) transmission. The sidelink schedulinginformation carried by PSCCH is referred to as sidelink controlinformation (SCI). SCI is transmitted over sidelink from TX UE to RX UE.The SCI format is a predefined format in which the sidelink controlinformation is formed and transmitted in PSCCH. Both DCI format and SCIformat give the UE scheduling details such as number of resource blocks,resource allocation type, modulation scheme, transport block, redundancyversion, coding rate etc.

As compared to Wi-Fi and NR unlicensed spectrum operation, a PC5 link(or sidelink) based mobile device potentially possesses the followingfeatures: 1) deployment by both operator can user; 2) operation in bothunlicensed spectrum and licensed spectrum; 3) similar protocol stackscomplexity to Wi-Fi; 4) better multiplexing efficiency than Wi-Fi; 5)better mobility support than Wi-Fi, e.g., service continuity; 6) largermaximal TX power than Wi-Fi for larger coverage: 7) support multi-hoprelay. In accordance with one novel aspect, a method to use UE as amobile device relay using PC5 link or sidelink to relay data trafficto/from end UEs for coverage extension is proposed. In the example ofFIG. 1, relay UE 103 helps to relay part or all data traffic for remoteUE 104 and remote UE 105. In a first novel aspect, as depicted in 110,the network is aware of remote UE existence. For example, for remote UE104 that is not connected to the network, it is able to receive SIB,paging message, or RRC configuration from the network via PC5 link. Inaddition, methods for resource allocation and interference managementare proposed. In a second novel aspect, as depicted in 120, solutionsfor synchronization of UEs on PC5 link, and solutions for connectionsetup between relay UE and remote UEs on PC5 link are proposed.

FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of wireless devices 201 and 211 inaccordance with a novel aspect. For wireless device 201 (e.g., a basestation or a relay UE), antennae 207 and 208 transmit and receive radiosignal. RF transceiver module 206, coupled with the antennae, receivesRF signals from the antennae, converts them to baseband signals andsends them to processor 203. RF transceiver 206 also converts receivedbaseband signals from the processor, converts them to RF signals, andsends out to antennae 207 and 208. Processor 203 processes the receivedbaseband signals and invokes different functional modules and circuitsto perform features in wireless device 201. Memory 202 stores programinstructions and data 210 to control the operations of device 201.

Similarly, for wireless device 211 (e.g., a remote user equipment),antennae 217 and 218 transmit and receive RF signals. RF transceivermodule 216, coupled with the antennae, receives RF signals from theantennae, converts them to baseband signals and sends them to processor213. The RF transceiver 216 also converts received baseband signals fromthe processor, converts them to RF signals, and sends out to antennae217 and 218. Processor 213 processes the received baseband signals andinvokes different functional modules and circuits to perform features inwireless device 211. Memory 212 stores program instructions and data 220to control the operations of the wireless device 211.

The wireless devices 201 and 211 also include several functional modulesand circuits that can be implemented and configured to performembodiments of the present invention. In the example of FIG. 2, wirelessdevice 201 is a relay UE that includes a protocol stack 222, a resourcemanagement circuit 205 for allocating sidelink resource pool, ascheduler 204 for scheduling sidelink radio resources, a traffic relayhandling circuit 209 for relaying all or part of data traffic for remoteUEs, and a control and configuration circuit 221 for providing controland configuration information. Wireless device 211 is a user equipmentthat includes a protocol stack 232, a synchronization handling circuit215, a relay discovery circuit 214 for discovering relay UEs, aconnection handling circuit 219 for establishing connection, and aconfiguration and control circuit 231. The different functional modulesand circuits can be implemented and configured by software, firmware,hardware, and any combination thereof. The function modules andcircuits, when executed by the processors 203 and 213 (e.g., viaexecuting program codes 210 and 220), allow relay UE 201 and remote UE211 to perform embodiments of the present invention accordingly.

In one example, a relay UE 201 forwards system information broadcast,paging message, and RRC configuration for PC5 link including resourcepool configuration to remote UE 211. The relay UE 201 can alsoperiodically transmit synchronization signals to remote UE 211. Relay UE201 dynamically schedules radio resources within the resource poolconfiguration for data transmission to each remote UE or dynamicallyschedule radio resources within the resource pool configuration to beused by the remote UE 211 via scheduler 204. In another example, aremote UE 211 receives synchronization signals from relay UE 201 andperforms synchronization via synchronization module 215, initiates arelay UE discovery procedure via discovery module 214, and establishesconnection with a base station via connection module 219 through relayUE 201.

FIG. 3 illustrates a first deployment scenario #1 for a PC5-based mobiledevice relay in accordance with one novel aspect. 5G new radio (NR)mobile communication network 300 comprises a 5G core (5GC) 501, a basestation gNodeB 302, and a plurality of user equipments including UE 303,UE 304, and UE 305. For in-coverage UEs, a base station can schedule thedata traffic over Uu link. For out-of-coverage UEs, UE can schedule thedata traffic over PC5 (or sidelink). In the embodiment of FIG. 3, remoteUE 304 and 305 are out-of-coverage. UE 303 is a radio resource control(RRC)-connected UE that acts as a relay UE using PC5 (or sidelink) torelay data traffic to/from end remote UE 304 and remote UE 305 forcoverage extension. Only relay UE 303 is connected to the network via Uulink while remote UE 304 and remote UE 305 are not connected to thenetwork. Relay UE 303 helps to relay all data traffic from the networkto the remote UEs and from the remote UEs to the network via PC5 links.

FIG. 4 illustrates a second deployment scenario #2 for a PC5-basedmobile device relay in accordance with one novel aspect. 5G new radio(NR) mobile communication network 500 comprises a 5G core (5GC) 401, abase station gNodeB 402, and a plurality of user equipments including UE403, UE 404, and UE 405. For in-coverage UEs, a base station canschedule the data traffic over Uu link. For out-of-coverage UEs, UE canschedule the data traffic over PC5 (or sidelink). In the embodiment ofFIG. 4, remote UE 404 and 405 are in-coverage. UE 403 is a radioresource control (RRC)-connected UE that acts as a relay UE using PC5(or sidelink) to relay data traffic to/from end remote UE 404 and remoteUE 405 for coverage extension. The relay UE 403 and remote UE 404 and405 are all connected to the network via Uu link. But the link qualitybetween the remote UEs and the network is worse than that between therelay UE and the network. Relay UE 403 helps to relay part or all datatraffic from the network to the remote UEs and from the remote UEs tothe network via PC5 links. The PC5 link can be in the same carrier asthe Uu link or in a different carrier from the Uu link.

To support the deployment scenarios shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4,different issues are identified to enable PC5-based mobile device relay.The first issue is network awareness of remote UE's existence. Thesecond issue is synchronization of remote UEs on PC5 link. The thirdissue is PC5 link connection setup between a relay UE and remote UEs.The fourth issue is resource allocation of remote UEs on PC5 link.

FIG. 5 illustrates a sequence flow between network and relay UE andremote UE with network-aware coverage extension. To guarantee QoS, thenetwork should be aware of the existence of end UEs and keep their UEcontext even though the remote UEs are out of network's coverage (e.g.,the deployment scenario shown in FIG. 3). This means that the remote UEsare still connected to the network even when they do not have direct Uulink to the network. In the example of FIG. 5, system informationacquisition (step 511) is usually the first step occurs between aserving base station gNB 501 and UEs including a relay UE 502 and aremote UE 503. When a remote UE does not have direct Uu link to thenetwork and is connected to the network via a PC5 link, the remote UEshould be able to receive information from the network via the PC5 link.Here, remote UE 503 does not have a direct Uu link to gNB 501, but isconnected to the relay UE 502 via the PC5 link. As a result, remote UE503 should be able to receive information from the network relayed byrelay UE 502 over the PC5 link.

In a first example, in step 521, gNB 501 broadcasts MIB/SIB over aphysical broadcast channel, and relay UE 502 forwards the MIB/SIB toremote UE 503 over PC5 link (step 522). In a second example, in step531, gNB 501 sends a paging message to remote UE 503 via relay UE 502,which forwards the paging message to remote UE 503 over PC5 link (step532). In a third example, in step 541, gNB 501 sends a UE-specific RRCconfiguration message to remote UE 503 via relay UE 502, which forwardsthe RRC configuration message to remote UE 503 over PC5 link (step 542).Remote UE 503 is able to receive RRC configuration for the RRCconnection between the network and remote UE 503 from the network viathe PC5 link. In one example, the RRC configuration includes radioresource allocation of sidelink resources to be used by UE 502 and UE503 for sidelink transmissions. Note that a remote UE is required tosynchronized with a relay UE when performing connection setup procedure.Thus, a remote UE (e.g., UE 503) is synchronized with a relay UE (e.g.,UE 502) when receiving RRC configuration information and after RRCconnection setup.

FIG. 6 illustrates a sequence flow between network and relay UE andremote UE for synchronization procedure over PC5 link. A relay UE shouldtransmit synchronization signals periodically so that remote UEs withoutnetwork connection can utilize the transmitted synchronization signalsfor synchronization to enable broadcast message transmission capability.However, for remote UEs with network connection, they can synchronizewith gNB via Uu link even though relay UE also provides synchronizationsignals. To avoid the same sequences for synchronization signals betweennearby relay UEs, the sequences of synchronization signals transmittedby a relay UE should be based at least one of the followinginformation: 1) Position related information of the relay UE, e.g. zoneidentification in LTE V2X; and 2) Layer-1 identification relatedinformation of the relay UE.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, in step 611, UE 602 and UE 603 arein-coverage while UE 604 is out-of-coverage. In step 611, UE 602performs synchronization with gNB 601 via Uu link. In step 621, UE 603performs synchronization with gNB 601 via Uu link. In step 631, UE 602is triggered by higher layer signaling from gNB 601 and switches torelay UE mode (step 632). Relay UE 602 needs to transmit synchronizationsignal and physical broadcast channel periodically over the PC5 link.However, remote UE 603 continues to synchronize with the network via theUu link, even though remote UE 603 has a PC5 link with relay UE 602. Thesequences of synchronization signals transmitted by relay UE 602 shouldbe determined to avoid the same sequences for synchronization signals.In step 641, relay UE 602 determines the synchronization signalsequence. In step 651, relay UE 602 sends synchronization signal toremote UE 603 over PC5 link. In step 652, relay UE 602 sendssynchronization signal to remote UE 604 over PC5 link. For remote UE604, although it does not have connection to the network, itsynchronizes with the target relay UE 602 over PC5 link.

FIG. 7 illustrates a sequence flow of a connection setup procedurebetween the network and a remote UE via a relay UE. When a remote UEmoves to an area with weak or no Uu link to the network, the remote UEcan initiate the connection setup procedure for the connection betweenthe network and a remote UE via a relay UE based on a list of relay UEs,which may be obtained from: 1) user input, 2) historical search resultsvia relay UE discovery procedure, and 3) network. FIG. 7 illustrates theconnection setup procedure for the connection between the network gNB701 and a remote UE 703 via a relay UE 702. The entire connection setupprocedure comprises four parts: 1) Relay UE discovery, 2) Connectionsetup, 3) UE capability negotiation, and 4) RRC configuration. Note thatif a remote UE detects one or more relay UEs nearby, it can synchronizewith one of them and perform connection setup procedure directly, noneed to perform relay UE discovery procedure. If a remote UE doesn'tdetect any relay UE nearby, it may perform discovery procedure based onthe synchronization information it obtained from other ways, e.g., GPS,base station.

When a remote UE doesn't have any list of relay UEs for access, it caninitiate a relay UE discovery procedure to find out nearby relay UEsthat are able to provide services. In step 711, remote UE 703 transmitsa relay UE discovery request message via broadcast message. The relay UEdiscovery request message carries at least one of the followinginformation: 1) discovery request message type; 2) layer-1identification of the initiating remote UE (UE 703), which allows areceiving relay UE (UE 702) to know which remote UE it should respondto; 3) reference signal for RSRP measurement, which enable a receivingrelay UE to perform RSRP measurement and report the RSRP measurementresults in the discovery response; 4) time window for the discoveryresponse reception. The time window sets a time duration for a receivingrelay UE to response. If no response is received, the remote UE cantrigger new discovery request.

After receiving the relay UE discovery request message from remote UE703, in step 712, relay UE 702 transmits a relay UE discovery responsemessage within the time window for the discovery response via broadcast,groupcast, or unicast message. The UE discovery response message carriesat least one of the following information when it is ready to provideservices to a remote UE: 1) discovery response message type; 2) layer-1identification of the initiating remote UE (UE 703), which allows aninitiating remote UE to know whether the discovery response is meant tothe remote UE; 3) layer-1 identification of the receiving relay UE (UE702), which allows an initiating remote UE to know which relay UEtransmits the connection response message; 4) RSRP measurement results,which allows an initiating remote UE to know the radio distance betweenthe remote UE and the receiving relay UE.

When a remote UE already obtains a list of nearby relay UEs, the remoteUE initiates a connection request procedure to find out the best relayUE to provide the connection. In step 721, the connection requestmessage is transmitted by remote UE 703 via a broadcast message orgroupcast message, which carries at least one of the followinginformation: 1) connection request message type; 2) layer-1identification of the initiating remote UE (UE 703), which allows areceiving relay UE to know which remote UE initiates the connectionrequest; 3) layer-1 identification of the targeted relay UE(s) (UE702)—one or more targeted relay UEs can be included, which allows areceiving relay UE to know whether the connection request is meant tothe relay UE; 4) reference signal for RSRP measurement, which enablesthe receiving relay UE to perform RSRP measurement and report the RSRPmeasurement results in the connection response; 5) time window for theconnection response reception.

After receiving the connection request message from remote UE 703, instep 722, the targeted relay UE 702 transmits the connection responsewithin the time window for the connection response via broadcast,groupcast, or unicast message. The connection response message carriesat least one of the following information when it is ready to provideservices to a remote UE: 1) connection response message type; 2) layer-1identification of the initiating remote UE (UE 703), which allows aninitiating remote UE to know whether the connection response is meant tothe remote UE, the identification is needed if using broadcast orgroupcast message but not needed if using unicast message; 3) layer-1identification of the receiving relay UE (UE 702), which allows aninitiating remote UE to know which relay UE transmits the connectionresponse message; 4) number of remote UEs served by the receiving relayUE, which allows an initiating remote UE to choose a relay UE with lessconnection load; 5) RSRP measurement results, which allows an initiatingremote UE to know the radio distance between the remote UE and thereceiving relay UE so that the remote UE can choose a relay UE withstrongest signal strength.

In step 723, the higher-layer connection setup between the network andremote UE 703 via relay UE 702, which can be either combined with orseparated from the connection request/response messages. Thehigher-layer RRC connection setup involves: 1) RRC connection setup forthe link between gNB 701 and relay UE 702, including configurations forboth PHY layer and higher layers; 2) RRC connection setup for the linkbetween the relay UE 702 and the remote UE 703, including configurationat least for PHY layer and MAC layer; and 3) RRC connection setup forthe link between gNB 701 and remote UE 703, including configurations forhigher layers, e.g., RLC layer, PDCP layer, RRC layer. Step 1) should beready once a UE becomes a relay UE, steps 2) and 3) are needed when aremote UE connects to gNB via the relay UE. The 2^(nd) and 3^(rd) stepscan be combined together within single connection setup message or2^(nd) step first and then followed by 3^(rd) step. In step 731, remoteUE 703 sends remote UE capability to relay UE 702 on PC5 link. In step732, UE capability negotiation occurs. In step 741, relay UE 702 sendsRRC configuration to remote UE 703 on PC5 link. In step 742, RRCconfiguration for the established connection is sent to remote UE 703.

FIG. 8 illustrates a sequence flow between network and relay UE andremote UE for relay UE-based resource allocation. Invehicle-to-everything (V2X) or device-to-device wireless communicationsystems, there are two resource allocation schemes. In a first scheme(mode #1), the base station schedules sidelink (SL) resources to be usedby UE for SL transmission. This resource allocation mode #1 can be thebaseline scheme for deployment scenario #2 in FIG. 4, where both relayUE and remote UEs are in-coverage so that the base station can have thefull control for resource allocation. In a second scheme (mode #2), UEdetermines SL transmission resource within SL resources configured bythe network or pre-configured SL resources. This resource allocationmode #2 can be the baseline for deployment scenario #1 in FIG. 3, wherethe remote UEs are out-of-coverage.

Under mode #1, when both relay UE and remote UEs are in-coverage, basestation can have full control for resource allocation of sidelinkresources. As depicted by 810, in step 811, gNB 801 schedules SLresources for relay UE 802 and remote UE 803. In step 812, relay UE 802and remote UE 803 communicate with each other over sidelink using thescheduled SL resources.

Under mode #2, UE determines sidelink resources, i.e., base station doesnot schedule SL transmission resources within SL resources configured bythe network or pre-configured SL resources. The UE can apply variousschemes for scheduling the SL resources. In a first scheme under mode#2, as depicted by 820, the relay or remote UE autonomously selects SLresources for data transmission. In step 821, eNB 801 provides resourcepool configuration to a group head UE of a relay UE group. A relay UEgroup includes a relay UE and a group of remote UEs connected to thesame relay UE via sidelink. The group head UE is the relay UE of therelay UE group. In a first alternative, the network provides singleresource pool configuration to a relay UE group and each UE within therelay UE group shares the radio resources sharing for data traffictransmission. In a second alternative, the network provides a resourcepool configuration to each UE within a relay UE group and each UE usesits corresponding resource pool configuration for data traffictransmission. In step 822, the relay UE 802 forward the resource poolconfiguration provided by the network to remote UE 803 within the relayUE group. In step 823, the relay or remote UE performs: 1) decoding toSL control channel transmissions; 2) SL measurements; and 3) detectionof SL transmissions. In step 824, the relay or remote UE dynamicallyselects the radio resources within the resource pool configuration forthe data traffic transmission to another UE based on step 823.

In a second scheme under mode #2, as depicted by 830, the relay UEselects SL resources for data transmission of other UEs in the relay UEgroup. The network provides resource pool configuration and/orindividual resource configuration to each UE with a UE group via a grouphead UE. The group head UE cannot modify the configuration provided bythe network. Other than the group head UE, other UEs within the relay UEgroup do not have direct Uu link to the network. Therefore, for bettermultiplexing efficiency within the remote UE connecting to the samerelay UE, the relay UE should be allowed to dynamically schedule theremote UEs. Considering interference management between different relayUE groups, the resource allocation between different relay UE groupsshould be managed by the network.

In step 831, eNB 801 provides resource pool configuration to a grouphead UE (relay UE 802) of a relay UE group. In step 832, the relay UE802 performs: 1) decoding to SL control channel transmissions; 2) SLmeasurements; and 3) detection of SL transmissions. When the relay UE802 transmits data traffic to each remote UE within the relay UE group,in step 833, it dynamically selects the radio resources within theresource pool configuration for the data traffic transmission to eachremote UE based on step 822. In step 834, relay UE 802 transmits data toremote UE 803 using the selected radio resources. When the remote UE 803within the relay UE group has data traffic to transmit to the relay UE802, remote UE 803 first sends a scheduling request to relay UE 802(step 842), and receives a scheduling of SL resource from relay UE 802(step 843), and remote UE 803 selects the radio resources within theresource pool for the data traffic transmission to the relay UE 802based on the relay UE's dynamic scheduling (step 844). Note that UE canassist SL resource selection for other UEs for data transmission oversidelinks.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and resourceallocation from relay UE perspective in accordance with one novelaspect. In step 901, a relay UE receives higher layer configurationinformation from a serving base station over a downlink connection. Thehigher layer configuration information comprises a resource poolconfiguration related to sidelink transmissions between the relay UE andone or more remote UEs. In step 902, the relay UE establishes sidelinkswith the relay UE and the one or more remote UEs. The one or more remoteUEs belong to a relay UE group served by the same base station. In step903, the relay UE forwards the higher layer configuration information toeach of the remote UEs in the relay UE group.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and resourceallocation from remote UE perspective in accordance with one novelaspect. In step 1001, a remote UE establishes a sidelink with a relayUE. The remote UE and the relay UE belong to a relay UE group served bya serving base station. In step 1002, the remote UE receives higherlayer configuration information from the relay UE. The higher layerconfiguration information comprises a resource pool configurationrelated to sidelinks between different the relay UE and one or moreremote UEs in the relay UE group. In step 1003, the remote UE obtains aradio resource within the resource pool configuration and performingdata transmission over the obtained radio resource.

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and connectionsetup from relay UE perspective in accordance with one novel aspect. Instep 1101, a relay UE performs synchronization with a serving basestation over a Uu link. In step 1102, the relay UE transmitssynchronization signals and physical broadcast channel periodically toone or more remote UEs over sidelinks. In step 1103, the relay UEreceives a connection request message from a remote UE over acorresponding sidelink. In step 1104, the relay UE transmits aconnection response message to the remote UE such that a higher layerconnection between the serving base station and the remote UE isestablished through the relay UE.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart of a method of coverage extension and connectionsetup from remote UE perspective in accordance with one novel aspect. Instep 1201, a remote UE obtains a relay UE list that comprises one ormore relay UEs for the remote UE to access a serving base station. Instep 1202, the remote UE receives synchronization signals and physicalbroadcast channel transmitted from a relay UE over a sidelink. In step1203, the remote UE transmits a connection request message to the one ormore relay UEs in the relay UE list over corresponding sidelinks. Instep 1204, the remote UE receives connection response messages from theone or more relay UEs such that a higher layer connection between theserving base station and the remote UE is established through a selectedrelay UE.

Although the present invention has been described in connection withcertain specific embodiments for instructional purposes, the presentinvention is not limited thereto. Accordingly, various modifications,adaptations, and combinations of various features of the describedembodiments can be practiced without departing from the scope of theinvention as set forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving higher layerconfiguration information from a serving base station by a relay userequipment (UE) over a downlink connection, wherein the higher layerconfiguration information comprises a resource pool configurationrelated to sidelink transmissions between the relay UE and one or moreremote UEs; establishing sidelinks between the relay UE and the one ormore remote UEs, wherein the one or more remote UEs belong to a relay UEgroup served by the same base station; and forwarding the higher layerconfiguration information to each of the remote UEs in the relay UEgroup.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more remote UEs inthe relay UE group are out-of-coverage and have no direct connectionswith the serving base station.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein therelay UE further forwards at least one of system information and pagingmessages broadcasted from the serving base station to the one or moreremote UEs.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource poolconfiguration comprises a single resource pool to be shared by thesidelinks between the relay UE and the one or more remote UEs within therelay UE group.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource poolconfiguration comprises a corresponding resource pool to each sidelinkbetween the relay UE and each remote UE within the relay UE group. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the relay UE dynamically selects a radioresource within the resource pool configuration for data transmission toa remote UE within the relay UE group.
 7. The method of claim 6, whereinthe selection is based on decoding of sidelink control information,sidelink measurements, and detection of sidelink transmission.
 8. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the relay UE receives a scheduling requestfrom a remote UE and in response selects the radio resource within theresource pool configuration for the remote UE.
 9. A User Equipment (UE)comprising: a receiver that receives higher layer configurationinformation from a serving base station over a downlink connection,wherein the higher layer configuration information comprises a resourcepool configuration related to sidelink transmissions between the relayUE and one or more remote UEs; a connection handling circuit thatestablishes sidelinks between the relay UE and the one or more remoteUEs, wherein the one or more remote UEs belong to a relay UE groupserved by the same base station; and a transmitter that forwards thehigher layer configuration information to each of the remote UEs in therelay UE group.
 10. The UE of claim 9, wherein the one or more remoteUEs in the relay UE group are out-of-coverage and have no directconnections with the serving base station.
 11. The UE of claim 10,wherein the relay UE further forwards at least one of system informationand paging messages broadcasted from the serving base station to the oneor more remote UEs.
 12. The UE of claim 9, wherein the resource poolconfiguration comprises a single resource pool to be shared by thesidelinks between the relay UE and the one or more remote UEs within therelay UE group.
 13. The UE of claim 9, wherein the resource poolconfiguration comprises a corresponding resource pool to each sidelinkbetween the relay UE and each remote UE within the relay UE group. 14.The UE of claim 9, wherein the relay UE dynamically selects a radioresource within the resource pool configuration for data transmission toa remote UE within the relay UE group.
 15. The UE of claim 14, whereinthe selection is based on decoding of sidelink control information,sidelink measurements, and detection of sidelink transmission.
 16. TheUE of claim 14, wherein the relay UE receives a scheduling request froma remote UE and in response selects the radio resource within theresource pool configuration for the remote UE.
 17. A method comprising:establishing a sidelink with a relay user equipment (UE) by a remote UE,wherein the remote UE and the relay UE belong to a relay UE group servedby a serving base station; receiving higher layer configurationinformation from the relay UE, wherein the higher layer configurationinformation comprises a resource pool configuration related to sidelinksbetween the UE relay UE and one or more remote UEs in the relay UEgroup; and obtaining a radio resource within the resource poolconfiguration and performing data transmission over the obtained radioresource.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote UE isout-of-coverage and has no direct connection with the serving basestation.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the remote UE receives atleast one of system information and paging messages broadcasted from theserving base station and forwarded by the relay UE.
 20. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the remote UE selects the radio resource for datatransmission based on decoding of sidelink control information, sidelinkmeasurements, and detection of sidelink transmission.
 21. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the remote UE sends a scheduling request to the relayUE and in response receives the radio resource for data transmission.